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How to beat blogging burnout

The flicking cursor taunts your tired mind and you find yourself doing everything and anything to avoid writing. Another pointless email, a quick snack... oh go on, one more coffee - then I'll make a start.

We've all been there. Whether you blog for your own business, outsource to a professional writer, or rely on your employees to come up with streams of remarkable, relevant and consistently well-written blog posts, burnout doesn't discriminate. Even the most talented and experienced writers suffer the dreaded yet inevitable 'bleurgh'.

Inspiration comes in peaks and troughs and ideas sometimes dry up, especially if you've been blogging for a long time.

But consistency is key in this industry, so don't let a little mental block become the demise of your entire blog.

Fortunately, there are simple strategies you can try to fire up your creativity, motivation and recharge your passion for writing.

I can assure you that the tips I'm about to share come from a place of understanding because believe me, I've been there. So let's drive in and claw back that blogging momentum...

Republish old content

The act of republishing old blog posts has recently been popularised by renowned blogging entities because of its noticeable impact on SEO and reputation.

It might seem like a quick win - even a little bit like cheating. But as more and more brands are building prolific libraries of content, it's inevitable that some of that historic content has earned a lot SEO juice. Older blog posts that still generate a lot for traffic may now contain outdated links, images or terminology, which can be revised and refreshed. If ideas are running dry, consult your analytics to ascertain which of your older posts performed particularly well.

Repurpose into new formats

Let’s make one thing clear. The focus is shifting from content to media. As large content bodies are starting to rebrand themselves as 'media companies', and experimenting with different mediums of content, there's something to be learned here. Content doesn’t always have to be written.

Spoken content is increasing as are podcasts, videos and other forms of audible and visual content. Experimenting with different media formats can broaden your potential and inspire you and your team to come up with new ways of exploring topics, speaking to audiences and generating leads.

And while we're on the subject of spoken content, how about using any dead time (the commute, for example) as an opportunity to listen to industry relevant podcasts or audio content? Widening your research and listening to organic conversations between experts in your field can trigger new ideas and thoughts that will fire you your own blog writing.

Identify your obstacle

At what point do you tend to get stuck? Perhaps it's idea generation, identifying your keywords, or writing your introductory paragraph?

Whatever and wherever that obstacle is, identify it and learn how to manage it appropriately. Perhaps you need to call on the assistance of an employee, or invest some time into learning in order to overcome it.

Once you can mitigate that sticking point, you'll reach your point of flow more quickly and be able to blog at your maximum potential.

Make reading and learning a part of your day

Whenever I suffer with writer's block, one of the most common tips I come across is to read more. And it really works. Reading more (even if outside of your chosen topic or industry) helps wake up the writer inside of you.

Similarly, if you are blogging for your business, it's essential you invest time into learning. By vowing to make learning a part of your day or at least, your week, you'll remain continually aware of trends, topics and new information that can be used to construct blog posts. Learning new things not only boosts your confidence in particular topic areas but it's one of the best ways to beat burnout and inspire new ideas.

Revisit your buyer personas

Before you began your blogging journey, you might have constructed buyer personas, or a representation of your 'ideal customer', and if you didn't, now is a good time.

Revisiting your ideal buyer will remind you of their pain points, their most pressing questions, their challenges and their obstacles.

Spending some time immersing yourself in the thoughts of your reader can help direct you toward subjects of interest, or solutions they are looking for that you can align new your content with. Furthermore, reminding yourself of the demographic characteristics of your buyer persona will refresh your writing as you re-familiarise yourself with their expectations.

Focus on making a difference

When you focus on truly making a difference by inspiring and educating others, providing value and demonstrating thought leadership, the recognition that follows can serve as fuel to keep up that momentum.

If you are truly inspiring others, the comments, shares and engagement is evidence of that. And by igniting interaction with your readers, you can start to identify potentially popular topics, related questions or pain points that can inform a blog calendar, and help generate new ideas.

Prioritise wellbeing

Some days it's just not happening. And no matter how many coffees you chug back, you just can't seem to get going.

Maybe you're tired. Maybe you're hungover. Or maybe it's your poor diet taking its toll. Whatever the case, be sure to prioritise your wellbeing (both mentally and physically) to avoid burnout of any kind. Blogging burnout paired with a foggy head is a recipe for failure.

Make sure you're doing everything you can to feel your best so that you log on feeling fired up, energised and clear-headed. A good night's sleep, a healthy and nutritious diet, and regular exercise will contribute to better mental clarity and increase your motivation.

Blogging burnout is inevitable. And it affects even the best content writers. When we first begin our journey, we're raring to go with a stream of exciting ideas. We're clear-headed and passionate about our blogging potential. But as time passes, we all reach a point where we a little bored, stuck... and uninspired.

Try out these tips to keep the momentum going and maintain the creation of high quality blogs and content.

Nicola is a Content Strategist. With a degree in English Literature, a CIM Marketing diploma and six years’ experience in the industry, Nicola has a passion for content creation and analysing and optimising content across the full inbound spectrum for Equinet and our clients.